A few weekends ago I was on the beach at Jenkinson's Boardwalk for a great event to help find homes for shelter dogs. It was a great feel-good day, and I met a local musician who is taking the whole idea of giving back while following his passion pretty seriously.

Erik Mason grew up right here at the shore, in Brielle.

He told me that since he was a kid he wanted to write and play music, so he's taken that passion and kicked off his music career, while at the same time helping charities through his performances.

Erik's teamed up with organizations like The Monmouth County SPCA and Foodstock New Jersey, just to name a pair, and will be donating ticket and merchandise proceeds from each of his upcoming shows to those charities.

Here's my interview with Erik:

And Erik's original song, "The Tide":

You can see Erik for yourself at the following stops:

• June 5th - The Bitter End - New York City
• June 21st - The Saint - Asbury Park
• July 5th - House of Independents - Asbury Park
• August 17 - Beach Haus Brewery - Belmar

My thanks to Erik for stopping by the WOBM studios (and lugging the piano along with him!). You can check out his website and social media links by clicking here!